living in California?

Question

Hi there!!!!!
I'm one of those people who are obsessed by the life in cali.
Could someone give me any information about living in the golden state? For me, this could be an opportunity to know new people and new cultures.
Excuse Me if my english isn't perfect. (I'm Italian)

Answer 1

California has great things to offer:
beaches
good restaurants
liberal in most areas
museums
sports (soccer, hockey, basketball, football, baseball, etc)

California also has:
an extremely high cost of living
tons of traffic in the cities along with a lack of parking
smog
many homeless people

I would definitely recommend visiting California. I would not recommend living in California.

Answer 2

California is a wonderful place.

In many ways, however, you'll find much is familiar. California's weather patterns are the same as the Mediterranean countries. The cities are expensive and overcrowded, while the countryside is quiet and beautiful. And, though not nearly as numerous as New York/New Jersey, California does have a sizable Italian-American community.

This is true of San Francisco, in particular. There has been three Italian-American mayors of San Francisco: Angelo Rossi, Joseph Alioto, and George Moscone. And the current Speaker of the House (Presidente della Camera dei Rappresentanti), Nancy Pelosi, is from San Francisco.

Although Italians live throughout the Bay Area, North Beach and Sausalito are the focal points.

http://www.sfnorthbeach.org/index.html

http://www.sausalito.org/

Answer 3

San Francisco has a wonderful Italian district called North Beach plus there are Latino districts, Russian, China Town (the largest outside of Hong Kong) Japan Town, an Asian district. You would feel "at home" Iknow I did when I visited Italy: Florence, Sienna, Venice, Rome, Orvieto. Parts of are country side are identical to yours: Napa Valley (vineyards).
You have a nice beach to the West and 4 hours East you're in the Sierra Nevada Mtn range, Lake Tahoe, skiing in Winter, Squaw Valley (olympics were held there) I could go on and on but these are just a very few highlights. It is a little expensive (housing)

Answer 4

I was obsessed too. That's why I moved here, to be closer to my family. I love the food, the wine, the culture, the weather, the landscape, everything. I moved from the midwest to Napa Valley. I'll never leave.

But it is expensive, and people who live here usually commute more than 2 hours to their jobs in the city (SF). Housing prices are through the roof. Rentals are better but still expensive. We'll probably be renting forever. Traffic can be a pain, but it gets to be normal.

NV has a large population of everyone. Latinos, Brits, French, Germans, Asians, everyone. All are welcome. The diversity and culture here is wonderful.

I've never regretted moving here for a minute. And that was 3 years ago after having visited family here for over 15 years. I'm home.

Answer 5

Yah: sure. I was born in Oakland Ca,home of the raiders, grew up in San Francisco, lived in LA for a few years,and now I live in northern Ca,Eureka to be exact. Ca has changed a lot in my lifetime. The amount of traffic in the cities is bad. Since we started real smog control the air isn't as dirty in LA but now smog is showing up in places it never did before. People may say they hate the place but why do they keep coming? The answer must be that theres no place in the world like California. On the coast it can be cold and foggy,hop in your car,drive 5 miles and it will be HOT. Beaches deserts ,mountains, valleys Redwoods, surfing, skiing,food, people ,movie stars, environmentalists, hippies, rednecks, wide open spaces, crowded spaces, damn near anything you want can be found here. You need to come here your self and find out what this place is about. Feel free to ask questions . D

Answer 6

I'm from northern California. I grew up here in the San Francisco Bay Area.
It's not as nice here as when I grew up. There's way too many people, way too many cars, and less and less peace of mind. Plus, the Bay Area is very expensive.
As California has become more and more urbanized it has become less appealing.